The gray man is one of the most popular ghosts in the Carolinas. It is said that when he walks, a storm will come very soon.
The legend of the gray man was revived in April 1954. A woman who had been coming to Pawley’s Island for twenty years decided to bring her children and grandchildren to the island that month. The grandmother was looking at the ocean and saw a gray figure walking along the water’s edge. In a few seconds the man started to disappear. She called out to her family but by the time they looked, the man was gone. The next day was awful. There were terrible winds and they predicted possible tornado damage along the coast.
Bill Collins and his family have owned a house on Pawley’s Island since he was born. Just before hurricane Hazel struck, Bill and his wife were staying on the island while he waited to go into military service. One night, Bill went out to their lookout and saw a person walking on the beach. When the man came closer, he simply vanished. About a week later, they were awakened by a loud pounding on the front door at 5 in the morning. When Bill opened the door, he saw an old man dressed in old clothes. The man said that he was told by the Red Cross to tell everyone to leave the island. Within an hour, Bill and his wife were gone. But the funny thing was that Bill had never seen the man nor ever seen him again. No one on Pawley’s Island has ever seen the old man. When we returned to the island after hurricane Hazel hit, many houses were gone and dunes had disappeared. Then we saw our house, left untouched. Everything was exactly how we left it. That’s part of the gray man legend -- that no harm comes to those who see him.
Sam Montgomery
The gray man is one of the most popular ghosts in the Carolinas. It is said that when he walks, a storm will come very soon.
The legend of the gray man was revived in April 1954. A woman who had been coming to Pawley’s Island for twenty years decided to bring her children and grandchildren to the island that month. The grandmother was looking at the ocean and saw a gray figure walking along the water’s edge. In a few seconds the man started to disappear. She called out to her family but by the time they looked, the man was gone. The next day was awful. There were terrible winds and they predicted possible tornado damage along the coast.
Bill Collins and his family have owned a house on Pawley’s Island since he was born. Just before hurricane Hazel struck, Bill and his wife were staying on the island while he waited to go into military service. One night, Bill went out to their lookout and saw a person walking on the beach. When the man came closer, he simply vanished. About a week later, they were awakened by a loud pounding on the front door at 5 in the morning. When Bill opened the door, he saw an old man dressed in old clothes. The man said that he was told by the Red Cross to tell everyone to leave the island. Within an hour, Bill and his wife were gone. But the funny thing was that Bill had never seen the man nor ever seen him again. No one on Pawley’s Island has ever seen the old man. When we returned to the island after hurricane Hazel hit, many houses were gone and dunes had disappeared. Then we saw our house, left untouched. Everything was exactly how we left it. That’s part of the gray man legend -- that no harm comes to those who see him.
Roberts, Bruce. The Gray Man. N.A.. N.A., N.A., N.A.. The Gray Man. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. <http://sciway2.net/2002/a85b/grayman.htm>.